YOUNG INTERNATIONAL

Well, maybe not exactly international, but with 25 aircraft, including a brand spanking new Cessna Caravan and 50 plus people, anyone would have wondered what was going on at the USFS Pleasant Valley (24AZ) airstrip this weekend.  When the USFS reached out to the aviation community to ask for volunteers we thought eight to ten volunteers showing up would have been a success, but thanks to our willing and eager aviators we were able to staff four separate work teams on Saturday morning and after receiving instruction from USFS Range Manager Doug Ruppel and Recreation Technician Gary Lollman, we were off to clear brush, make fence repairs, and even build a new field gates near and around the area. I felt like a greenhorn working with Mike and Jim, two long time and professional rancher/pilots, and learned some skills that will prove useful around my little spread here in Cochise County. I think every participant felt privileged to work side by side with our hard working USFS personnel who set the pace for us.

It wasn’t all work and no play as we made our way back to midfield for lunch at Diane’s kitchen, that’s Diane Wisda, and her willing assistants who set up a shade and set tables for lunch. Diane’s famous sloppy joe’s and beans were served, and man they hit the spot! Diane tells us over 40 people were served.  After lunch it was time to give locals a bird’s eye view of their little town and the surrounding country side. I lost track, but I think we managed to get a dozen or so locals up in the air, and I know everyone will remember little 8 year old Iona and here irresistible smile. The Hunt family also showed up in force, and offered to help us out with some materials to fill some developing ruts at the east end of the airstrip. We were even joined by District Ranger Kelly Jardine from the Tonto Basin District and our beloved Grapevine airstrip.

After relaxing around the campfire for a couple of hours, it was off to town for dinner at the incredible Antlers restaurant.  Eight of us who arrived on Friday enjoyed dinner at Antlers that night, but 26 of us, including 5 locals that took a liking to us, made it out on Saturday night. All I can say is what a meal, and what a great time. Chef Scott and his wife Pam really know how to set a table for guests, and that’s exactly how one feels when enjoying dinner at Antlers. A few made their way to the Pleasant Valley Inn, and one couple to the Cherry Creek Lodge for the night while others snuggled up in tents at the airstrip.

It takes hours and hours to organize this sort of event. This includes the time, fuel, and efforts of our camp hosts, Jim & Diane Wisda, Mike Andresen, locals, Carl Guilliams, Chuck Freegard, Barry Dille, and our photographer, Mike Wilson, but I don’t think there was a one of us that would not say “What an incredible weekend !”  I know I am always amazed at the satisfaction I feel as one of these events comes together in the Arizona Backcountry and my hat is tipped to all of you for making this weekend such a success! 

A great big thank you to Tommy Thomason and Jeff Wilson for providing so many first time flights to the local community members that came out!

I am looking forward to seeing you all at the Grapevine airstrip December 19 th , 20 th  and 21 st !  I know our host Mike Andresen is planning a good lunch for us, and the Saturday night Dutch Oven cook off is always incredible, so bring your best recipe! 

Submitted on December 1, 2014.

Posted in News

Recent Posts

IF WE COULD . . .

By Kodi Myhre • December 23, 2025
At about this time, every year, we have this conversation at the RAF about what our year end letter (code for asking for your financial support) should say to you, and about the RAF and the accomplishments of the past year.

WORTH THE READ: STEF GOZA GUEST EDITORIAL

By Taylin Trafton • December 23, 2025
Our many RAF supporters have such vast and varied experience, and we’re capturing some of their words of wisdom to share with you. This guest editorial is by Stef Goza, a pilot and an RAF Alaska liaison.

BILL DUGAN IS NEW NEBRASKA LIAISON

By lellington • December 21, 2025
Bill credits aviation for much of his success in business and the ability to serve his companies and family. What began in a Champ, and a Tri-Pacer owned by five people, turned into what Bill calls, “a key business tool” in which he accumulated 9,000 hours – in a Cheyenne, a Pilatus, and a TBM, where ninety-five percent of his flying was for business. “My retirement enabled me to recall ‘Why I Learned to Fly’, a slogan from an old RAF video.” Bill’s son, Patrick, purchased the C185 they now share. “While attending a business function, some associates arrived in corporate jets. As they joined up on the tarmac, the jet pilots gathered around Patrick’s 185, and one of the passengers asked, ‘What’s special about this?’ No explanation needed for this RAF audience,” Bill says. “My involvement in the RAF is, in a partial way, repaying the rewards aviation has endowed me with. Having been involved in many worthwhile nonprofits, this is one where financial support is only part of the picture. Physically participating in great projects that have a lasting effect, with good people, returns a great personal benefit,” he says. “My only regret is that I wasn’t there at the start.” Bill and his wife Jane are privileged to be able to split time between their long-time home in eastern Nebraska and Scottsdale, Arizona. While still serving on several boards, he enjoys golf “about every third shot,” biking, cars, and reading, but always looks forward to the time he can be involved in the RAF. “It’s flying with a purpose,” he adds. Bill can be reached at bdugan@theraf.org

Jake Hampton

December 15, 2025
AR Ambassador

RAF ADDS MICHIGAN LIAISON SCOTT ANTTILA

By Taylin Trafton • December 11, 2025
A Christmas gift of flight lessons from his parents started Scott Anttila’s aviation journey in 1985. “I learned at Johnson Field, a small grass strip tucked into the woods in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and that early exposure to simple backcountry flying stuck with me,” Scott says. Growing up in the U.P., he spent a lot of time outdoors and found that flying was another way to get to the places he liked to explore—especially the ones most people never saw. As he earned more ratings and eventually moved to the Detroit area for work, Scott realized he needed a way to stay connected to northern Michigan. He bought an airplane and used it to get back to the smaller airstrips and lake country he enjoyed. Along the way, he also flew gliders out of Frankfort, soaring along the Sleeping Bear Dunes and towing sailplanes over the Great Lakes. “Those flights gave me a different appreciation for the landscape and made me even more interested in the small, out-of-the-way airports scattered around the state,” he says. Visiting those kinds of places, Scott first came across the Recreational Aviation Foundation. He started using RAF-supported airstrips both inside and outside Michigan. “I noticed how well-kept they were and how much access they opened up,” he says, adding, ”Over the years, I’ve watched a number of grass strips close, which made the RAF’s mission feel especially important to me. Maintaining these airstrips keeps aviation connected to the outdoors and makes it possible for more people to reach the quiet, remote areas that inspired me to fly in the first place.” Scott joins the other two RAF Michigan Liaisons, General Grant and Tanmoy Ganguly. He can be reached at santtila@theraf.org . Submitted December 11, 2025.